Insulating block



Oct. 27, 1942. H, L ASH 2,299,908

INSULATING BLOCK Filed March 5, 1940 Z SheetS-Sheet 1 A ,1 I 1/ /I 6 ,3 INVENTOR Homer E. Leash ATTOR EYS Oct. 27, 1942. LEAsH 2,299,908

INSULATING BLOCK Filed March 5, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig. 4

an! c f I) c 3- INVENTOR Homer E. Leash BY T ATTO N EYS Patented Oct. 27, 1942 Homer E. Leash,

Portland, 'Oreg.

Application March 5, 1940, Serial No. 322,329

2 Claims.

My invention relates to the insulating of walls as a means of soundproofing and also as a pro.- tection against heat and cold.

Various bulk materials have been used heretofore for such insulating in connection with both interior and exterior walls, these bulk materials comprising cork, asbestos fiber, and the like. However, these insulatingproducts are mor or less expensive.

One of the objects of my invention is toprovide an insulating medium composed of inexpensive, or waste material. I have found that ordinary wood shavings produced in the ordinary process of finishing lumber in lumber mills and planing mills, which shavings are customarily wasted and burned, are suitable for producing an insulating medium accomplishing very satisfactory results.

Furthermore, the use of insulating materials in bulk form, such a cork, asbestos fiber, etc., and 2 also the use of sawdust or wood waste in bulk form for such purposes involves difllculty of. handling and expense, due to the fact that such materials are bulky and require space in shipping.

Another object of my invention is to furnish pre-formed blocks of insulating material of convenient size, for example of proper size to fit between the studding of th walls, as a convenience in shipping or handling, and also as a convenience in installing such insulation during the building operation.

Wood shavings have heretofore been made up into blocks or slabs of various types for various purposes, but such fabricated blocks or slabs are also comparatively expensive, and are usually quite heavy in weight.

A particular further object of my invention is to provide a block of wood shavings in which the shavings are stuck together in spots by any tacky substance-e. g. rosin-sprinkled on the mass of shavings, which shavings are thereupon compressed into a block of convenient size, asdesired, but yet limiting the compression to that degree which will still leave the blocks honeycombed with air cells. Thereby incidentally utilizing a minimum of wood shavings for such a block and causing the block to be comparatively light in weight, and at the same time attaining, as a result of the large sealed air spaces, a very high degree of insulation against sound, and also against heat and cold, relatively to the quantity of material contained in the block.

A still further object of my invention is to make such insulating blocks very simply and inexpensively, so that they may be produced at a cost much lower than that at which other insulating media can be obtained.

A still further object of my invention is to provide insulating blocks which are adapted to be placed in building-wall spaces and can be readily handled and shipped from place to place, and can also be used for interior wall surfacing in rustic buildings or in places where wood paneling is desired.

The above mentioned and incidentalobjects I attain by making insulating blocks of lightly compressed wood shavings fashioned and held together in the manner to be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

a In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of my insulating block looking at its front face;

Fi 2 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section of a wall of a wooden building showing my insulating blocks installed within such wall; and

Figs. 4 and 5 are vertical sections, more or less diagrammatic, illustrating a means for making my insulating block.

The body a of my insulating block is composed of wood shavings. Wood shavings are especially adapted for making my insulating blocks. The shavings resulting from the planing of lumber assume, and retain, more or less a curled-up formation, and by their inherent resiliency interpose considerable resistance to being flattened out under moderate pressure; therefore, shavings may be compressed into a mass of block form which will have a firm body, and yet be honeycombed with air cells. Th block is made with a facing b comprising a thin board of plywood, or veneer, or waste lumber, or any other suitable material having rigidity or semi-rigidity, and cut to the satisfactory for all purposes to make such facing of plywood which is relatively inexpensive and is suitable for any uses to which my insulating block may be put.

A strip c of binding material covers the rear face of the block, this strip being brought around over the sides a, a2 of the block and attached to the side edges of the front facing of plywood b. Molding strips 1 and g fastened to the plywood facing b, secure the ends of the binding material 0 on the outside of the edges of the facing 17. The binding material may be of heavy paper or any similar material, and the molding strips 1 and g are secured to the facing b by nails h or other suitable means.

desired size for the block. I have found it more In making my insulating block a predetermined quantity or mass of wood shavings is sprinkled with hot resin or a similar gummy binding agent and preferably slightly heated to render the rosin sticky. This mass of shavings is then deposited onto a sheet of binding material c which has been placed in a suitable machine, such as that indicated in part in Figs. 4 and 5. The facing board I) is then placed above the shavings and forced down on them compressing the shavings into a block of the size desired. This compression of the shavings increases the heat of the same to some extent and thus further aids the resin in permeating the shavings sufficiently to form a compact body. When the facing board b has been pressed down on the mass of shavings a, the ends of the binding paper 0 are brought over the lateral edges of the facing b and the molding strips f and g are nailed in place, thereby securing the ends of the binding paper 0 to the facing board I) and constituting the binding paper into a cover over the mass of shavings, and thus produces the completed insulating block.

The use of the binding material or paper 0 not only is an important aid in the making of m insulating block, and in holding the body of shavings in mass to the facing board I), but this material covering the back and sides of the block prevents any disintegration or fracture of the body of shavings a as the insulating block is handled or knocked about. Without such exterior cover 0 the body of shavings would have .to be compressed to a much greater extent to form a mass of sufficient density or strength so as not to crumble or break apart; and increasing the density of the mass of shavings would reduce the size of the air spaces contained therethru.

In Fig. 3, illustrating the installation of my insulating blocks inside building walls, the outside wall surface is indicated by m; k, R: indicate the vertical studding of the wall to which the outside sheeting or wall surface m is secured, and n indicates the inside wall surface. My insulating blocks p are placed between the studding k, k and secured in place by nails 0 driven obliquely thru the molding strips f, 9 into the studding k, k. The molding strips g are preferably made with beveled edges 1', 9' (Figs. 1 and 2) facing I each other to facilitate the nailing of the molding strips, and therewith the insulating block, to the studding. After the insulating blocks 11 have been secured in place between the studding k, k, the inside wall n is then put up.

In rough or rustic interiors, it would be possible to omit the inside wall n entirely and, by

planing and finishing off the exposed edges of the studding k, is, have a paneled wall with the facing boards b constituting the panel members. It would also be possible to attach my insulating blocks on the inside surface of the inner wall n, and, with the addition of wooden strips placed over the cracks between th adjacent insulating blocks, provide an insulating panelling for interior finished walls of a building.

Other uses may, of course, be made of my insulating block as deemed practical; and modifications may be made in the method of constructing my block without departing from my invention. I consider it essential, however, that the body a of the block be made of wood shavings only slightly compressed and bound together just sufficiently to form a, moderately firm porous mass, whereby. the air sealed within the mass will constitute an efficient element in producing the insulating effect desired.

I claim:

1. In a wall having spaced studding, an insulating block, said block comprising a wooden face board, the width of said face board corresponding substantially to the space between adjacent studding, an insulating body composed of a mass of wood shavings stuck ,together in spots and slightly compressed into block form, a binder sheet covering the rear face of said block body and extending around two sides of said body, the ends of said binder sheet slightly overlapping said face board at two side edges, molding strips attached in front of said face board at two side edges, the ends of said binder sheet secured be-- tween said molding strip and said face board, said molding strips attached to the studding thereby holding said block in place, and said face board and molding stripsconstituting a panelling within the space between the studding.

2. An insulating wall block adapted to be placed between the studding in a wall, said block comprising a wooden face board constituting the front face of said block, an insulating body composed of a mass of wood shavings stuck together in spots and slightly compressed into block form, a binder sheet covering the rear face of said block body and extending around two sides of said body, the ends of said binder sheet slightly overlapping said face board at two side edges, molding strips attached to said face board at two side edges, the ends of said binder sheet secured between said molding strip and said face board, said molding strip adapted to be attached to the studding to hold said block in place.

HOIVIER E. LEASH. 

